In Service: 20 September 1939 to 9 April 1940
Ordered: 30 October 1934
Builder: Deutsche
Werke AG, Kiel
Construction No: 246
Laid down: 15 August 1935
Launched: 8 June 1937
Commissioned: 20 September 1939
Type: Heavy cruiser
Class: Admiral Hipper
Displacement: 14,050 tons standard. 18,200 tons full
load
Length: 203.2 m
Beam: 22 m
Draft: 7.2 m
Propulsion: 3 × shaft SR Deschimag turbines,
12 × Wagner boilers. producing up to 131,821 shp
Propellers:
Speed: 32.8 knots
Range: 6,800 nautical miles at 20 knots
Crew: 1,600 men and officers
Armament:
8 × 20.3 cm L/60 SK C/34
12 × 10.5 cm L/65 SK C/33
carried 4,800 rounds
12 × 3.7 cm L/83 SK C/30
carried 4,000 rounds
8 × 2 cm MG L/65 C/30
carried 16,000 rounds
15 × 4 cm L/56 Flak 28 after 1944
carried 30,000 rounds
12 × 53.3 cm torpedoe tubes
160 mines
Armour Deck 20 to 50 mm, Belt 70 to 80 mm
Turrets 70 to 105 mm, Tower 50 to15 cm
Aircraft: 3 ×
Arado
Ar 196, seaplanes
Electronics:
Operators: Kriegsmarine
Variants:
Blücher
Admiral Hipper
Prinz Eugen
Seydlitz
Lützow
Other: Heavy cruisers
Articles:
The Blücher was an Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser.
The Kriegsmarine's latest ship at the beginning of World War
II, having been in commission for slightly over six months,
she was sank by the Norwegian coastal defences at the Battle
of Drøbak Sound on April 9, 1940, the primary day of the invasion
of Norway (Operation Weserübung). The Hipper class were constructed
to a design that ridiculed the Washington Naval Treaty, to
which major maritime nations were signed on to, in addition
to the Treaty of Versailles, which limited German naval development.
Even today, the wreck is still loosing oil and endangers the
environment of the Oslo Fjord.
20 September 1939
The Blücher is commissioned
8 April 1940
The Blücher takes part in operation Weserübung (Invasion
of Denmark and Norway) along with Lützow, Emden light
cruiser, the torpedo boats Möwe, Kondor and Albatros
and the 1st R-Flottilla, The Blücher had 1,000 troops
onboard ready for the invasion of Oslo.
9 April 1940
At 5.20 am the lead ship Blücher enters the Dröbak Narrows,
The defenders at Oscarsborg Fortress open fire with its 28
cm guns. The Blücher superstructure is heavily damaged
and fire starts to spread. But the fetal blow comes from two
hits by Norwegian torpedo batteries the ship sinks at 7:23
am.
Heinrich
Woldag
Takes command on 20 September 1939
Ends command on 9 April 1940
by Thore Thoresen 12/10/2010
I remember the sinking of Bluecher on April 9 1940. The ship
passed by my hometown Horten on the way to Oslo before running
into the fortress at Oscarsborg 40 miles farther North. I
was 7 at the time.
German Warships, 1815-1945: Major Surface Vessels.
ISBN-10: 0851775330
German Warships, 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels.
ISBN-10: 155750301X
German warships of the Second World War.
ISBN-10: 0668040378
For a complete list of
sources
